Object authentication from a signature part

Abstract

A method of authenticating an object in which a computer system receives indicating data from a sensing device. The indicating data is generated in response to sensing of coded data provided on or in a surface associated with the object and is indicative of an identity of the object and at least part of a signature. The signature is in turn a digital signature of at least part of the identity. The computer system uses the indicating to determine a received identity and a received signature part, before using the using the received identity to determine at least a determined signature part. The determined signature part is then compared to the received signature part to authenticate the object.

We claim: 
     
       1. A method of authenticating an object in a computer system, the method including the steps of:
 receiving indicating data from a sensing device, the sensing device generating the indicating data in response to sensing one of a plurality of tags provided on a surface associated with the object, each tag encoding an identity unique to the object, the position of the respective tag on the surface and a part of a signature, the signature being a digital signature of at least the identity and comprising a plurality of signature parts, the indicating data including:
 the identity of the object; and 
 the signature part encoded in the sensed tag; 
 
 determining, using the position, a received identity, a received signature part and a received signature part identifier identifying the received signature part; 
 determining, using the received identity, a determined signature; 
 determining, using the determined signature and the received signature part identifier, a determined signature part corresponding to the received signature part; 
 comparing the determined signature part to the received signature part; and 
 authenticating the object using a result of the comparison. 
 
     
     
       2. A method according to  claim 1  including the further steps of:
 generating authentication data indicative of success or failure of the authentication; and, 
 transferring the authentication data to a user. 
 
     
     
       3. A method according to  claim 2 , wherein the method includes the step of transferring the authentication data to the sensing device. 
     
     
       4. A method according to  claim 1 , wherein the step of determining the determined signature includes retrieving from a data store, using the received identity, stored data indicative of the digital signature. 
     
     
       5. A method according to  claim 4 , wherein the stored data is stored in a database and is indexed by at least one of:
 the identity; and, 
 a range of identities. 
 
     
     
       6. A method according to  claim 1 , wherein the step of determining the determined signature includes generating the determined signature using the received identity. 
     
     
       7. A method according to  claim 6 , wherein the signature is a digital signature of the identity and of predetermined padding, and the determined signature is determined using the received identity and the predetermined padding.